Entering Week 14 of the 2025 season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie tackle Benjamin Chukwuma had just six NFL snaps on offense under his belt. But you wouldn't be able to tell from the way the undrafted rookie, just a few years removed from his first-ever football game, played Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Making his first career start in place of injured left tackle Tristan Wirfs, Chukwuma anchored a Tampa Bay Buccaneer offensive line that didn't allow a single sack on the day and paved the way for 179 rushing yards.
"I did pretty [well]," assessed Chukwuma after the game. "Yeah, my first ever NFL start – this is my first time going against all these elite players, so I feel like I held my [own] well."
His quarterback agreed.
"Chukes, I thought, did a hell of a job," said Baker Mayfield. "[Those were] his first snaps in the NFL, so I thought he did a really, really good job. Those guys got him ready."
Wirfs, a four-time Pro Bowler, left big shoes to fill. But Chukwuma didn't look overwhelmed Sunday, in part because his teammates were there to remind him what he's proven he's capable of at practice and in the preseason.
"That's the way I was able to stay ready today because of all the motivation they have [given] me," he said. "Every player was saying, 'Ben, you got this. It's just like preseason. It's just like practice – you've got this.' I feel like everybody showed me love and I was able to play fast and strong."
Sunday's 24-20 loss wasn't just Chukwuma's first NFL start – it was only his 14th start at any level.
Chukwuma had never played football before moving to the U.S. from Nigeria at age 17, and only got a spot on the collegiate level in an open tryout for Georgia State's team in 2020. Chukwuma didn't see the field until 2023, when he played in 10 games, including two starts late in the year.
By 2024, he was starting at left tackle.
The Bucs signed Chukwuma to a contract with $300,000 in guarantees, making him the highest-paid undrafted free agent in his class, and after showing his potential in training camp, he made the 53-man roster.
"Yeah, it means a lot," said Chukwuma. "Like I was telling Tristan, two years ago I played my first ever football game, and today I'm starting an NFL game, so it's crazy. I feel like I'm in a dream."
